Michael Pena in Talks for a Role in 'Ant-Man'

January 15, 2014 (1:16 am) GMT

The 'End of Watch' actor is rumored being considered to play one of the villainous characters in the Edgar Wright-directed movie.

Casting reports for Marvel's "Ant-Man" continue, hot on heels of Michael Douglas' casting as the Ant-Man inventor Hank Pym. Multiple sources confirm that Michael Pena has entered an early negotiation for a role in the upcoming film to be directed by Edgar Wright.

The role which the "End of Watch" actor is circling is still scarce. Rumor suggests he could play one of the villains in the comic adaptation, but there is no official word to confirm it.

According to Variety, Rashida Jones and Bryce Dallas Howard are in the running to be the leading lady in the movie. This story has been conflicted with denials much like Johnny Depp's Dr. Strange rumor, but again nothing has been set in stone.

It's unclear if Janet Van Dyne a.k.a. The Wasp who is romantically linked to Hank Pym in the comic books is the movie's female lead, but Bleeding Cool reports that the leading lady will be "the daughter of the second male lead."

In regards of the "Ant-Man" film, The Hollywood Reporter additionally notes that the studio is looking for a "tough Latino" who has to be ready for a lot of physical play. Javier Bardem and Clifton Collins Jr. are among the names eyed for the role.

The movie is set for U.S. release on July 31, 2015. Joe Cornish writes the screenplay with Wright. The plotline is kept under wraps, but producer Kevin Feige once called the pic a "heist film." On top of that, Wright posted a picture from an episode of animated series "The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes", where Scott Lang stole the original Ant-Man equipment from inventor Hank Pym and used it to commit crimes.

The director also once said of his idea to bring the two Ant-Men together, "So you actually do a prologue where you see Pym as Ant-Man in action in the 60's, in sort of 'Tales to Astonish' mode basically, and then the contemporary, sort of flash-forward, is Scott Lang's story, and how he comes to acquire the suit, how he crosses paths with Henry Pym, and then, in an interesting sort of Machiavellian way, teams up with him."